Newmarket mayor calls for national ban on handguns as critics take aim at proposed legislation

Bill C-21 lets municipalities bring in stricter gun controls or bans if wanted, MP argues

Yorkregion.com
March 22, 2021

York Region critics are taking aim at proposed federal legislation that would allow municipalities to ban handguns.

Bill C-21 is being targeted from all sides -- officials from gun clubs in East Gwillimbury and Whitchurch-Stouffville who own legal handguns for sports shooting, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor who is calling for a national ban on handguns, and Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas who calls the proposed legislation flawed regardless of which side of the handgun ban debate you fall.

They say permitting municipalities to ban handguns with bylaws that restrict possession, storage and transportation won’t stem the use of illegal handguns and will create a jurisdictional nightmare.

“It’s a gesture to make people feel safe, but it does nothing for their safety,” said Richmond Hill resident Darrell Bond, president of the Sharon Gun Club.

A “patchwork” system of municipal bans would make it difficult for legal gun owners to transport firearms to gun ranges and competitions in different communities, he said.

Canada already has laws prohibiting gun ownership unless someone passes the licensing process and is then subject to daily police checks through CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre), he said.

“How do legal firearms owners suddenly become the bad guys?” Bond said.

Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen is defending his government’s stance on handguns.

Recognizing the dangers of illegal guns, particularly in urban centres, he said Bill C-21 brings in strong measures, including new storage regulations to prevent handguns from being stolen, and stiffer penalties for cross-border weapons smuggling.

“But what Bill C-21 also acknowledges and respects is that a number of municipalities want to introduce stronger gun controls to restrict or outright prohibit the storage and use of these firearms within their jurisdictions,” Van Bynen said.

Opponents shoot down those arguments.

East Gwillimbury resident Howard Crangle is president of the Aurora Gun Club in Whitchurch Stouffville, while King City resident Janesse McPhillips is membership director.

Speaking as individuals, not on behalf of the club, they echoed Bond’s concerns with the proposed legislation.

Sitting in his Aurora office, Crangle calls it a poorly executed political ploy aimed at convincing Canadians the Liberals are tough on gun crime.

He doubts it will become law.

McPhillips would support the proposed legislation if she thought it protected public safety.

“I would say this on a personal level as a mom, if I believed that legal guns were causing the crimes that we’re seeing and the innocent lives that are being taken, I would in a heartbeat hand my guns over and vote to close the range up and find another hobby, because as a parent I can’t possibly in good conscience pursue an activity that I believe has any reasonable level of harm to the community,” she said.

“But having been part of this community for a very long time and seen first-hand the safety and security and then having the backup of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (which has voiced concerns with municipal handgun bans), who are the ones tackling the crime, I’m confident to say legal firearms in people’s homes are safe and are not any direct cause of the kind of crime we’re seeing.”

Taylor calls the proposed legislation “highly flawed public policy at best, and political downloading at worse.”

A patchwork approach on handguns is more worrisome than the marijuana issue that resulted in a jumble of local laws, he said.

Taylor wants a national ban on handguns.

“I believe that handguns … were originally designed for one purpose only -- to kill people,” he said.

While many people use legal guns responsibly for target shooting, Taylor said a national ban would reduce accidental deaths and the risk of firearms being stolen.

The debate on handgun bans should be a national issue, Mrakas said.

“This (proposed legislation) creates a porous patchwork of local bylaws that will do nothing to address the very real tragedy of illegal gun violence in our communities,” he said.